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Eddie Chikamhi : Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS assistant coach Murape Murape says the Glamour Boys will not be under pressure when they host How Mine at Rufaro despite the need for maximum points to keep pace with the leading teams. The Harare giants, who have played identical goalless draws in their last three matches, trail log leaders FC Platinum by 11 points.Murape yesterday said they have been working hard to improve their finishing.
“Considering where we are coming from, I can say we are still work in progress. We had a bad start and we must applaud the boys for their hard work. Remember when the new coaches came the team was conceding in almost every game, but now we have gone for six matches.
“That’s one area we have improved a lot. We are working hard on the finishing part. But team building is a process. We have told our boys that we should consider all those drawn games as losses.
“We now aim to finish the season unbeaten. Football has shown us that in just six games you could rise from number 14 to number four,” said Murape.
Dynamos have strengthened their problematic strike force by bringing in veteran Jacob Muzokomba who played his first match at ZPC Kariba. Another forward Takunda Sadiki is still not available for selection as he is waiting for his reverse clearance from Botswana.
There were also issues with newboy Wisdom Mutasa.
Despite securing his clearance from ZPC Kariba the midfielder may have to wait longer for his debut as there were some papers which were reportedly not in place to allow him to feature for the Glamour Boys.
However, the good news for Murape and his boss Lloyd Mutasa is that almost all the players are available for selection except for Sydney Linyama who got a knock in the last match.
Murape still sounded positive as he called on the supporters to rally behind the team.
“We may not have an excuse of not winning in the last three games, but we also have to consider that we have not lost in the last eight games. So what these boys need is that small extra motivation from everyone at the club.
“We need our supporters to rally behind the team also. Of late we have not been seeing much of them. There is too much quietness on the part of our fans, with the exception of those few guys at the Vietnam Stand.
“For most of the guys it seems they only wait to celebrate when the team scores. I wish all the supporters were like those at the Vietnam Bay who beat drums and sing for the team the whole 90 minutes. When chips are down that’s when the team needs the supporters to lift them up. But what do they get? Silence.
“We are not feeling that love and the comfort of playing at home. So I am challenging the supporters to rally behind the team fully. As much as they want the results they must also contribute to it. They have to take over the show for those 90 minutes and create the atmosphere that intimidates the opponents so that we really feel at home.”
How Mine drew 1-1 against basement side Border Strikers at the weekend after having ended an eight match winless streak in the reverse fixture in which they won 2-0 at Dulivhadzimu.
How Mine coach Kelvin Kaindu is expecting all his players to be available and is looking to turnaround their fortunes with a win over Dynamos.
“We have just been going through a prolonged bad patch, but I am confident of a strong finish. If you look at the teams in the bottom half and the one occupying the fourth position, it’s only six points that separate us. So once we start picking up points, we will be back on track and rise up the ladder,” said Kaindu.
Fixtures
Today: Dynamos v How Mine (Rufaro), Highlanders v Mutare City (Barbourfields)
Saturday: Bulawayo City v Hwange (Barbourfields); ZPC Kariba v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Nyamhunga); Chicken Inn v Chapungu (Luveve); CAPS United v FC Platinum (National Sports Stadium)
Sunday: Triangle United v Highlanders (Gibbo); How Mine v Harare City (Luveve); Border Strikers v Dynamos (Dulivhadzimo); Mutare City Rovers v Tsholotsho (Sakubva).
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